


something i need

by amberg93



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), M/M, Polyamory, Pride, Sokka Has Two Hands, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, aang is a literal ray of human sunshine, iroh likes to matchmake, toph has a seeing eye dog named bandit, zuko gets adopted into the gaang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25475482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberg93/pseuds/amberg93
Summary: Oh, girlfriend. Zuko felt a bit stupid now, for thinking that Sokka could have been flirting with him. Now it was even more awkward. Of course Sokka wouldn't be single. The guy was a total fucking catch. He couldn't be the only one who had noticed it, he was not that lucky.-Zuko's first pride was supposed to be a short parade experience with his uncle. He wasn't supposed to meet the most gorgeous guy in the world and he definitely wasn't supposed to end up spending the whole day with said guy and his friends. After all, it isn't like he's got a chance with him... right?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 350





	1. the parade

Zuko felt a bit more than mildly uncomfortable as he made his way through the crowds of people lining the streets, awaiting the parade that would be starting in a half an hour or so. It wasn't so much because of any specific interaction that he had, but with the idea of being here at all. All around him people proudly wore or waved flags, loudly and proudly declaring their sexuality or support of the LGBTQ+ community. In contrast he felt out of place in his plain red t-shirt with a small rainbow pin on the side.

If it had been up to him he wasn't even sure that he'd have come to the pride event at all. He'd planned on working at The Jasmine Dragon today, much like every other day of the summer break. The problem was that his uncle knew about the parade and he was insistent that the two of them go together this year. It was his own fault for finally working up the courage to come out to him this past year. While his support meant so much to Zuko, it had quickly become embarrassing how fully he was embracing his nephew's sexuality.

Now instead of trying to get female customers interested in Zuko, he'd simply switched to male ones and he'd bought a pride flag to hang in the tea shop behind the register, proudly declaring his love for the community whenever anyone asked about it. The most offensive thing that he'd done though was buy rainbow Crocs and had started wearing them with regularity, no matter how much Zuko had insisted that he shouldn't.

That's not even to mention the time that he'd made Zuko a profile on Grindr and tried to make matches for him. Luckily, that hadn't lasted long because when Zuko had found out about it he'd promptly forced his uncle to delete the profile and promise to never, ever do that again.

“I will help you find a nice boy to settle down with,” Uncle Iroh had promised him while complying and removing the app. “Just you wait.”

“Sure, Uncle,” he'd shaken his head and gone promptly back to work cleaning tables because as much as he loved the older man, he wasn't sure he trusted his judgment on who would be a good match for him.

He should have known that Iroh would keep at it though and it seemed that today was no exception because when Zuko finally did catch sight of the older man he was in conversation with a young man who had to be about Zuko's age. For a moment, he froze in his spot as he took in the scene.

There was Uncle, wearing a floral patterned shirt, khaki shorts and his rainbow Crocs, sitting in a camping chair with a sign that Zuko couldn't see the writing on at the moment but knew to read 'I love my gay son!' (it was possible that Zuko had teared up slightly when he'd seen him making it, but he'd deny that fact if anyone asked). And he was talking to the single most beautiful man that Zuko had ever seen in his entire life.

The man in question had dark tan skin, stunning blue eyes and possibly the widest, whitest smile that anyone could have. His hair was up in a short ponytail but he had an undercut and Zuko could see glitter sparkling across his cheeks. A bisexual pride flag was tied around his shoulders, billowing back like a cape behind his black muscle tank which read 'Both? Both. Both. Both is good' in the same colors as the flag. Zuko swallowed hard as his eyes were drawn to the strong biceps the other man had, his neck feeling warmer all of a sudden.

Not wanting to get caught standing around and staring like a creep, he quickly brushed some of his own dark hair over his eye to cover his scar a bit more and made his way over to his uncle.

“Ah, Zuko! You've finally arrived,” Iroh said when he caught sight of him, grinning widely and gesturing him closer. “This is my nephew, who I was telling you about.”

Trying to fight a blush, Zuko allowed himself a slightly awkward wave toward the man who somehow seemed even more perfect up close. Was that fair? It didn't seem fair. It made it hard for him to think of anything special as a greeting, so he ended up going standard. “Hi.”

“Nice to meet you Zuko.” The man's voice was a nice tenor, warm and light and when he turned that smile on him, it made him feel like his stomach dropped into his feet. “I'm Sokka. Your uncle was just telling me all about you.”

Now Zuko's face did flush and he wished that his uncle wouldn't have. There was no way someone as beautiful as this would be interested in him and he was sure that he'd exaggerated the truth if not straight up lied. “I'm sorry,” he offered, not sure what else to say.

“Sorry?” Sokka raised an eyebrow and let out a chuckle. “What is there to be sorry about? It's been a lot of fun.”

“Yes, I've had a lovely time getting to know Sokka, did you know he goes to university with you?” Iroh asked, clearly pleased with himself.

“I didn't,” Zuko replied, fighting back a sigh. “It's a large campus, uncle.”

“And then it's not exactly like English majors would have many courses in common with Engineering majors,” Sokka pointed out. “But it's a shame we haven't run into each other before.”

Engineering? Great so he was smart and good looking? Would the world ever stop with its injustice? He felt impossibly plain and unimpressive standing there by Sokka. It was hard not to. Just as it was hard not to stare at him, especially with the way that the sun hit the glitter on his face, drawing attention to cheekbones that had no right to be so defined and sharp. There was an awkward pause before he nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” he answered, not sure what to say.

“So your uncle says that this is your first pride event?” Sokka questioned, tilting his head slightly. The damn glitter sparkled again and Zuko wondered idly if that was why he'd done it.

“Um, yeah. I wasn't really out before so,” he shrugged, figuring it explained everything.

“Well you're going to have a lot of fun! The parade is always nice and sometimes you even get to see celebrities up close and personal, which is cool. Plus there's great music and last year one of the groups had a shirtless male dancing group that was just incredible, they were good dancers too,” Sokka laughed and gave a wink to Zuko who felt like he'd forgotten how to function.

Sokka had winked at him. At him. There went his cheeks flushing again, probably looking just as red as his shirt this time. The idea of shirtless dancers was, admittedly, interesting as well but it paled in comparison to the thrill that went through him from the simple wink that he'd just gotten. Was Sokka flirting with him?

No. No. He couldn't be. He was just a joking sort of person. Yeah, that was it. It wasn't about him.

“Cool,” he managed to get out, his voice sounding odd to his own ears. It seemed off but he hoped that Sokka wouldn't notice. Uncle Iroh probably would but.. well it seemed like he had removed himself from the conversation.

“Plus, you're surrounded by excellent company,” Sokka continued, giving a grin.

Zuko looked at his uncle, sitting in his chair and looking around to clearly act like he wasn't listening and then looked to Sokka who was standing by himself. “Where?” he questioned dryly. It was a joke, one he made so he didn't have to confirm that he thought that the other man was telling the truth. Once it was out of his mouth though he wondered if it was wrong to have made such a joke with a near stranger.

It seemed that Sokka found it funny though because he burst out laughing, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Zuko's arm. If he noticed the way that the gay man went still under his touch, Sokka didn't show it. “Wow, that was so harsh,” he said, but his tone was teasing and his eyes sparkled as he looked at him.

It didn't seem that funny to Zuko but he was secretly pleased that Sokka had enjoyed his sense of humor and well, as much as he didn't know what to do with the strong, tan hand on his arm he enjoyed having it there.

He was saved (?) from having to think of a response when he heard someone calling Sokka's name out from behind the engineering student. The other guy turned in response too, smiling and waving his free hand out toward a group of four people walking their way. “Hey guys!” he called.

The guys in question weren't actually guys, or well, maybe one of them was? A male with a bald head and tattoos who, like Sokka, was wearing a flag as a cape. This flag was different colors though and Zuko couldn't say that he recognized it straight off the bat, it seemed to be pink, yellow, and blue and it was very aesthetically pleasing. The man himself seemed attractive enough, Zuko supposed, though he had a sort of boyish face that was stretched into a big grin that looked natural there. He was thin and about average height, wearing sunglasses and a white tank top that looked like it might have been from the same place Sokka's was though his just had a watercolor rendition of the flag at his back.

Walking directly next to him with her fingers intertwined with said man's was a young woman that Zuko knew had to be related to Sokka, she had the same coloring with her dark skin and bright blue eyes and her face was shaped similarly. It was hard to tell from this distance but it looked like they had the same nose. Her dark hair was pulled back into some braids and she was dressed in a yellow sundress covered in flowers, she was also looking at Sokka and Zuko with undeniable interest as she approached them.

Behind the apparent couple was a short young woman with a dark bob and sunglasses, holding a handle of a harness connected to a yellow lab wearing a vest that proclaimed it on duty. The woman had a slouchy tee on that proclaimed her 'too gay to function' and a lesbian flag was draped across her shoulders. Her face was fairly neutral from what Zuko could see of it and it was free from any make-up. She seemed familiar in a way that he couldn't quite place though he didn't linger on it.

In conversation with the short woman was a brunette with shoulder length hair who stood a few inches taller than her friend. Like Sokka she had glitter across her cheeks and it looked like along her shoulders and collarbones as well, in addition she also wore a bisexual flag in the same manner and her crop top proudly proclaimed 'bi bi bi' across it in pink, purple and blue paired with a black skater skirt. Her make-up also seemed to be inspired by the bisexual flag and looked like it had been applied by someone with obvious skill.

“Everyone, this is Zuko, it's his first pride,” Sokka introduced him once the group had made their way over and Zuko felt awkward as everyone turned their attention to him. Maybe it was because Sokka's other hand was still on his arm and he saw the ways that pretty much everyone's eye's flicked toward it.

“Hi,” he waved lamely, trying to fight the urge to pull back immediately and leave the friends to themselves.

“Zuko this is Aang,” Sokka gestured to the bald man who gave a grin and a warm hello. “My sister, Katara.” So he'd been right about the two of them being related, she only gave him a wave and once more looked at the hand that was still against Zuko's arm before raising her eyebrow at her brother. It seemed Sokka was ignoring her because he simply continued the introductions. “Toph and her guide dog, Bandit.” The short woman gave a sort of 'sup nod that Zuko hadn't really ever been given in his direction. “And this is my girlfriend, Suki.”

Oh, girlfriend. Zuko felt a bit stupid now, for thinking that Sokka could have been flirting with him. Now it was even more awkward. Of course Sokka wouldn't be single. The guy was a total fucking catch. He couldn't be the only one who had noticed it, he was not that lucky.

Suki had moved over to give Sokka a greeting kiss and it was only then did Sokka release Zuko's arm. The two of them seemed to have some sort of silent conversation when she'd pulled back that made Zuko feel uncomfortable and he'd turned back to his uncle who was making no attempt to hide the way that he was looking toward Sokka's friends.

“Toph, is that you?” Uncle Iroh asked, a smile over taking his features as he looked at the girl and dog.

“Iroh! I didn't know that you were gay,” Toph moved closer to the seated man, Bandit coming along with her.

Now that he looked at her again Zuko realized where he'd known Toph. He'd seen her probably once or twice during the school year at the Jasmine Dragon, but he'd never waited on her because uncle always did and the two of them always sat for long times talking to each other. She hadn't been in this summer, or at least not during any of Zuko's shifts.

“I am here in support of my nephew, Zuko,” Iroh answered easily.

“Wait, your nephew is the one that Sokka was making googly eyes at?” Toph was being far too loud for Zuko's liking and he really had no clue what to do because there was no comfortable place to be. He couldn't even bear to look over at Sokka and Suki to see what they thought about this.

“Toph, you know Zuko's uncle?” Sokka was the one asking and he sounded surprised. Zuko didn't chance a look at him.

“He's the owner of the Jasmine Dragon, I used to go there between my classes last year,” Toph explained. That made sense and explained why Zuko hadn't seen her around so much.

“No way!” Aang had moved over closer now, sounding excited. “I love your tea!”

Always happy to be on the receiving end of a compliment about his tea, Iroh was glowing. “The secret to good tea is patience,” he told the young adults. “You should all come by the shop, I'll make sure to give you a discount.”

“Score!” Sokka sounded very excited about this. “We'll definitely stop by.”

“Thank you so much, I can't wait!” Aang chimed in. “This is turning out to be a fantastic day already.”

“Twinkletoes you think that every day is fantastic,” Toph sounded unimpressed.

“Most days are,” he countered with a shrug.

Zuko didn't agree with that but he didn't put his opinion in since he didn't know this group well at all and it didn't seem to be his place. Once again he didn't know where he was supposed to fit in. Luckily, it seemed that this was a debate that had been had before because the group didn't seem to want to humor it and shut it down quickly and it seemed to dissolve into another conversation entirely.

“I like your pin,” Suki said suddenly, looking at Zuko with an open and friendly expression.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Zuko reached up to touch it idly, glancing down at it. “Uncle got it for me after I told him that I'm uh, you know, gay.”

“That's so sweet,” Suki gave a warm smile that made it hard for Zuko to even try to dislike her. Not that he was trying to, but even if he'd wanted to it didn't seem like it'd be possible. “I'm guessing you're the one he's referring to on his poster?”

“I mean, I'm not really his son, obviously, but yeah,” he felt like he was rambling but it was a really complicated story how his relationship with his uncle had progressed and he wasn't sure that the wanted to get into it.

“It's nice. I love seeing families coming to pride together,” she spoke in a slightly wistful fashion.

He didn't point out that there was no way that his father or sister would have come with him, not wanting to even focus on them today. For a moment the angry voices of each went through his mind after the time they'd seen him holding hands with a boy. It was one of the worst days of his life, it had no space in today and he shook himself out of their voices quickly, giving a weak smile back to Suki.

She seemed to notice that something was off and she raised an eyebrow at him but before she could ask a loud music started to play and they both looked down the street to see what looked like the start of the parade coming.

“Oh it's about to start. Get ready Zuko,” Sokka moved over to step between the two of them and nudged Zuko with a grin. “What were you two talking about?”

“I was just complimenting his pin,” Suki answered before Zuko had to.

Sokka turned his attention to it and nodded in approval. “It's pretty.”

“Thanks.” Zuko was back to feeling awkward again, standing so close to Sokka who seemed oblivious to his discomfort and made no move to get away from him. In fact, the man seemed quite happy to be standing there between his girlfriend and Zuko. Maybe if Zuko wasn't so interested in Sokka he would move himself away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, liking having him close enough that he could easily accidentally brush his arm against the other guy's. Close enough to smell whatever it was that he used to smell so good.

Toph continued to chat with Iroh on his other side and the two of them actually did seem to get along very well. Aang and Katara stood together, hands still held together. Seeing Aang Zuko did pull out his phone, trying to covertly search for the flag that the guy wore and found quickly that it was the pansexual flag. Feeling slightly more informed, he pocketed his phone before anyone else could notice and turned his attention back to the parade that came down the street.

Sokka had a lot of comments to make, mostly jokes, and Zuko found himself laughing along to them. A few times Zuko even attempted a joke or two himself. Every time that he came into any contact with Sokka his body seemed to tingle where they touched and he couldn't stop the smile that always happened as a result.

Then he felt guilty because Sokka's girlfriend was right there, especially because Suki was just so nice. He managed to push the guilt away by thinking about the fact that having a crush was not, in any universe, a problem as long as he didn't ask on it. Admiring Sokka's good looks and his great smell and his funny jokes and just overall Sokka, was not doing anything wrong.

Even so, when the parade came to an end Zuko was kind of ready to call it a day and get off of the roller coaster of emotions that were the highs of having Sokka's attention and the lows of realizing that he was just being friendly.

“Hey Zuko, we were all going to go out for dinner and then head on over to the open air concert tonight, did you want to come?” Sokka turned to him and fixed him with those blue eyes.

“I, uh,” he didn't know what to say. Of course he wanted to spend more time with Sokka. Who wouldn't? He just wasn't sure that it was a good idea and so he tried to look for an out. “Uncle didn't you need me to help close tonight?”

Iroh shook his head clearly not willing to give him one. “Oh, no, I'll be fine. You've got the whole day off, go have some fun.”

“Zuko's coming with us?” Aang sounded happy about this for some reason that Zuko couldn't begin to imagine. Maybe he just liked meeting new people?

“I guess I'm free,” Zuko answered since he obviously couldn't pretend that he had other plans when he'd just asked if he had to work.

“Great, we'll bring him back in one piece,” Sokka teased, throwing a grin toward Iroh.

The older man chuckled. “Please see that you do.”

Which was how Zuko found himself heading out with a group of people that he hadn't even known before this afternoon, having no clue what he was supposed to expect from the rest of the day and having very mixed feelings about this turn of events.

As they walked away Sokka linked one arm through Suki's and the other through Zuko's, chatting about the place that they were going to be going for dinner and wondering if there was a place that they could grab a snack before dinner because he was so hungry. Sokka's chatter was almost enough for Zuko not to catch the conversation of the three following behind him.

Almost, but not quite.

“Is Zuko attractive?” Toph was quieter than she'd been earlier on.

“Eh,” Katara sounded unsure.

“Yes,” Aang answered firmly. “He's got this messy hair and golden eyes and-”

“Zuko?” Sokka's voice cut through Zuko's eavesdropping and he turned with warm cheeks to see the other guy looking at him expectantly.

“Um, I'm sorry, what did you say?” he asked, feeling embarrassed that he'd been caught.

“I was saying were you hungry? There's a stand a few blocks up that sells the best fire flakes,” Sokka repeated, not mentioning the apparent spacing out he'd witnessed.

“I could eat.” He supposed, but mostly he was saying it because Sokka seemed excited by the prospect.

Spirits he was in trouble if he was already so far gone and the wide grin that crossed Sokka's face did nothing to make it better.

“That's what I like to hear!”

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written fanfiction in God knows how long but here we are. The power of Zukka nation really brought me out of my years of not writing because I couldn't get this idea out of my head. There will definitely be a second chapter sometime soon, maybe a third? I'll see how it goes.


	2. the park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's day continues with the Gaang and he gets to talk more with some of its members.

Zuko bought himself a small bag of fire flakes, always enjoying the spicy treat on the rare occasions that he indulged in them. Aang, Katara, Suki and Toph had gotten a bag to share amongst themselves. Sokka bought himself a bag the same size as the one his friends were sharing and started immediately eating them as if he'd never eaten anything before at all. 

Despite his apparent love for the food, the guy also began to sweat profusely and Zuko watched in some amusement as his dark face turned pink while they walked along idly. 

“Katara, let me have some of your lemonade!” he demanded, leaving his spot next to Zuko to go back toward the rest of the group. 

“No. You knew this was going to happen, you should have gotten yourself a drink.”

“Please, Katara! My mouth is on fire!” He attempted to grab for the lemonade from his sister but she swung it out of his grip. 

“Buy your own, there's a store right up ahead!” 

“But my mouth hurts now.” 

Zuko was a little amused, watching the two siblings squabble among themselves. It was nothing like the way that he and Azula would get into things but that was likely a very good thing. For some reason there was something sweet about the almost playful nature of the interaction. It made Sokka seem younger, less intimidating than his size might have people believe. 

“You get used to it,” a voice came from beside Zuko. It was Aang who was smiling fondly at the brother and sister as Sokka continued to try and grab the lemonade from Katara, who continued to move it out of his grasp. “They're sort of a package deal.” 

“It seems like it.” 

“Well they're best friends,” Aang shrugged. “I wished I had a sibling when I was younger, wanted to have a relationship like that but it wasn't the will of the universe. I've got Appa though, so I can't complain.”

Zuko's head tilted and he looked at Aang with a raised eyebrow. For a moment he thought the guy would answer him without needing to ask but he simply smiled at Zuko. “What's an Appa?” 

If possible the other guy lit up more and he immediately pulled out his phone. On the lock screen there was a picture of him and Katara smiling but it was only there a moment before Aang had pulled up a photo of a large, white, fluffy looking dog that seemed to be smiling at the camera. “This is Appa! I've had him for eight years now. Not the same as a brother or sister, but still great all the same.” 

“He looks... nice.” It was hard to know about an animal from a picture. 

“He is, you should meet him sometime!” Aang slipped his phone back into his pocket. I'd have brought him today but sometimes he tries to distract Bandit and with so many people around it just didn't seem to be the best idea.” 

Was Aang already planning to see him again? Was Sokka? Was it this easy to get adopted into this friend group? The thought seemed surprising. His own friends before he left home were much harder to make than this. 

“Uh, sure.” 

“Great! I'll bring him next time.” 

“Ugh, fine, Sokka, you big baby!” Katara's voice had both of them looking over to where Sokka had apparently been successful in getting the lemonade away from his sister and was now drinking out of it. 

Sokka turned toward Zuko and offered a smile, not handing the drink back to Katara once he'd finished. “Do you need some?” he asked, pushing it in his direction.

“What?” Katara was now openly glaring in Zuko's direction. 

“I'm good,” Zuko answered quickly. 

“Suit yourself. Here you are, Katara.” 

“Next time buy your own,” she grumbled, taking back her drink and looking at her brother with a glare. 

“Now that the lemonade drama is settled, are we just gonna stand in the middle of the sidewalk like idiots or are we going to keep moving?” Toph questioned from where she was standing next to Suki, the two of them having held onto the group snack bag of fire flakes. 

“We're going, we're going,” Sokka sighed, making his way back up to Zuko and Aang. “Come on boys, let's go.” 

Aang happily linked his arm through Sokka's in the same way that Sokka had done with Zuko and Suki before, which Zuko wished didn't make his heart sink a little. Sokka apparently was just a very tactile person. But no, he shouldn't be unhappy anyway. Sokka had a girlfriend. A girlfriend that was literally behind them. 

“Zuko, where do you like spending time around the city?” Sokka didn't even turn to look at him, he was looking around as if trying to spot something. 

“Oh, I don't really...” His free hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. “I mean, I don't have a specific place I like to go. I just sort of.. wander?”

There was the pond where he'd go sometimes to feed ducks but he didn't want to admit this in front of the whole group. It was a special place, a place that he'd gone a few times with his mother when they'd come to visit his uncle and it was a place that he still went now from time to time just to have some peace. 

“Letting the universe decide where you should go?” Aang did look over Sokka to smile over at Zuko. “That's what I like to do too. You never know where you'll end up. It's nice.” 

Sokka sighed somewhat dramatically and shook his head as he looked at Zuko. “I did not invite you to encourage Aang's 'listen to the universe' ideology.” 

Now Zuko felt a little awkward. “I'm sorry.” 

“Dude, it's fine, I'm kidding. I'll just pick somewhere to go. There's a pretty chill park up ahead.” 

“Sokka's just upset that the universe doesn't ever seem to do what he wants,” Katara chimed up from behind them. 

“I'm not taking negative comments right now!” Sokka didn't turn back to his sister but he did pick up the pace of his walk some and for a moment both Zuko and Aang struggled to keep up. “I make great plans,” he leaned a little closer to Zuko as he said this.

It was hard not to think about how nice he smelled when he was so close, or how flawless he still seemed up close. “You do?” He wasn't focusing on his words so much but rather the fact that it was difficult to string thoughts together with Sokka in his space. 

“Yes! I'm the plan guy of the group.” 

“You like- organize things?” It didn't seem to fit his style from what Zuko could tell about him. If he was that organized shouldn't he have bought his own drink when he knew that he'd need it?

“Why is that hard to believe for people? I'm extremely organized.” There was pride in Sokka's tone but it seemed like it might be well earned. “When I need to be.”

Now Zuko laughed, things clearing up a bit. Sokka was one of those people who were smart and organized for school but not in his personal life. Zuko held a strict organization in all parts of his life, though with his current social life it wasn't hard to keep it organized. 

Sokka grinned when hearing Zuko laugh, taking in the sight of the young man and deciding that he liked the sound a lot. It was a nice sound and the way that his face seemed to light up was good too. 

“And I'm guessing you decide when that needs to be?” It was easy to banter with Sokka, surprisingly easy even. 

“Well of course. Who else could?” 

“I have the feeling that there are many people that could do so.” Biting back a smile was difficult but Zuko managed, looking straight on at Sokka. Damn those blue eyes, did they have to be so blue and brilliant and beautiful? 

At first Sokka's face showed a sign of disbelief as he looked back at Zuko but after looking at him for a moment he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when he caught sight of the look in his golden eyes that said that he was teasing at least a little. “You think you could do the job?”

It was hard to fight the blush that threatened to color Zuko's cheeks. “No, probably not.” Uncle was always saying that he didn't think things through. His things might have been organized but the plan was where he fell apart. 

“So why are you teasing me about it then?” 

“I never claimed that I was the one to do it. I was just making an observation.” 

Sokka rolled his eyes and shook his head but there was a smile on his face as he did so. “Sure, sure. But now I know that you're no better than me.” 

“I didn't say that! I'm organized, I'm just not someone who should be making life decisions for other people.” Hell, most days he barely managed to make his own life decisions and while he could tell someone what to read or how to analyze poetry, the bigger problems escaped him. 

“Aren't we all,” Sokka gave a shrug as they entered a pathway into a park area that was somewhat familiar to him. 

It was a nice day so they were far from being the only people in the area but there were a few benches up ahead that were empty that the group seemed to be starting toward when someone called out, “Katara! Aang!” 

Everyone in the group turned in the direction of the voice which seemed to belong to a guy standing in a group of about three other people. 

“Haru!” Katara seemed excited to see whoever it was. She and Aang made their way over to the group and seemed to start a conversation. 

“Ugh, he still is trying to make that horrible mustache work.” Sokka's nose wrinkled in distaste. 

“Even when though I told him it was the ugliest thing I'd never seen?” Toph demanded, kneeling down on the ground to pull out a small bowl and bottle of water, pouring it into the bowl for Bandit to drink. The lab happily did so after a pat from Toph. 

“Last I heard he's still getting dates,” Suki shrugged. 

Zuko couldn't tell much about Haru's face from his position but could see that he seemed to have some sort of facial hair growing so he couldn't exactly weigh in his own opinion but he trusted the opinions of those around him in this instance. 

“There are lots of people desperate for a date,” Toph said as if it explained everything. 

That was a truth that Zuko couldn't deny, so he gave a nod before realizing that Toph definitely wouldn't be able to see him nodding. “She's got a point.”

“Thank you, Raspy.”

“Did you just call me Raspy?” Zuko was confused and a bit offended. 

“Toph gives everyone nicknames,” Suki explained. “If you're lucky it might evolve. I was 'Lady Bad Taste' for a while when I started seeing Sokka.”

“Because you had the bad taste to date Sokka.” The way that Toph spoke made it sound obvious. 

“I don't think that means she has bad taste.” Before thinking about it the words were out of Zuko's mouth and then he was blushing again. “I mean, you know, uh, Sokka seems cool.” 

If he had looked up he would have seen Suki biting back a smile or Sokka full out grinning in pleasure. “Thank you, Zuko. I am cool.” 

“Ugh, not another Snoozles supporter. First Warrior Princess and now Raspy. Aang needs to talk to the universe and sort this mess out.” 

As if summoned Aang jogged back over at the exact moment. “Hey everyone! You want to come play ultimate frisbee with Haru and friends?” 

“Sure,” Suki nodded. 

“You know I'm in!” Sokka seemed very excited about the idea. 

Which made Zuko unsure what his move should be here. Could he really just stay back and sit on the sidelines like a loser because he was awful at frisbee? Or should he probably embarrass himself in front of Sokka trying to act like he was game for whatever? 

“A game where you all throw plastic plates through the air at my face? Gee, why wouldn't I want to play that?” After checking the bowl for 

“Great, so we're all in!” 

“Snoozles, you dumbass. I'm not going to play. Bandit and I will relax here and listen to you idiots do your stupid plate throwing.” Toph stood back up and grabbed Bandit's harness, moving over to the bench to take a seat. 

“I think, I'll just keep Toph company,” Zuko offered seeing an out where he wasn't going to look anti-social and wouldn't have to embarrass himself either getting hit in the face or hitting someone else in the face. 

For a second a disappointed look flashed across Sokka's face but then he nodded. “Okay, well, have fun.”

“So, raspy boy, I've heard a lot about you.” Toph signaled Bandit to settle now and he laid by her feet, which she quickly got out of the sandals that she was wearing. If she had a problem putting her bare feet against the concrete path it wasn't obvious. 

“What? How?” 

“Your uncle Iroh?” 

“Oh, right. I forgot for a moment that you two know one another.”

“He makes great tea,” she replied. “He's a lot chattier than you are. Goes on and on about how great you are. Honestly, you seem a little overhyped.”

Hearing that Uncle Iroh had talked him up wasn't surprising, he was always that type and he often didn't agree with all the things that he said. The man tended to look past his faults, or when he noticed them, he used them to say that they were signs of something more than that. Knowing his past as he did, he felt like there were too many praises lavished to him. 

“Yeah.” He sounded a little defeated when he sighed out the word. "I probably am."

Whatever response Toph was expecting it wasn't this. “Okay Emo Lord. Damn, we just met. Act cool.” 

“Sorry. Uncle just thinks more highly of me than I deserve is all.” He didn't feel like carrying on this conversation. “How long have you known... everyone?”

If Toph wanted to continue the other conversation she pushed that aside and answered the question. “We met in middle school after I convinced my parents to let me go to a 'normal school' instead of having just private tutors. Twinkletoes was the first one to approach and everyone followed behind him.” 

Even the few interactions that Zuko had with the guy made it easy to see why that would happen, he was almost magnetic in a way, warm and kind. “What got him the nickname?”

“I never hear him coming. He's got the lightest footsteps in the world, it's incredibly annoying.” 

“Ah.” Now he didn't know what to say from there. For a few moments they sat together awkwardly, just listening to the sounds of the group that was playing and the sounds of life taking place outside of the park. 

“What the hell made you study English Literature?” 

“I like reading. And writing I suppose.” It was a major that he'd switched to after moving out, figuring that it was the thing that he'd be happiest studying. “What are you studying?”

“Business.” 

“Business?” The business majors that Zuko knew were not anything like Toph. 

“I want to own my own dojo someday and I don't want to depend on anyone to help me run it. So I'm just gonna learn how to do it all myself and then I'll teach people to kick ass.” 

“You know martial arts?” 

"Are you surprised that a blind girl would?” Toph was suddenly defensive, which was understandable and made Zuko feel worse about the fact that he'd spoken before fleshing out his thoughts. 

“That's not- no, I was more surprised because you're so... petite.” Zuko knew she could hardly stand to his shoulder if they were standing next to each other. 

“Want a demonstration?” she moved as if she was going to stand up. 

“I'm- I'm good. Maybe another time.” Mentally he was making a note to never get in a position where he would have to fight her because looking at her now, despite her small stature he was suddenly sure that she could and would kick his ass quite thoroughly. 

Leaning back again, she grinned. “That's what I thought you'd say. You're a quick learner, Raspy.”

They settled back into silence and Zuko looked at the group that was playing frisbee. If his eyes happened to mostly stay on Sokka... well that was just a coincidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said originally that it'd be like two or three chapters and I'm now like... well it'll be finished when it's finished. So I guess we're just writing here. 
> 
> If you want to follow me on Tumblr, you can follow me at [ambykinns](https://ambykinns.tumblr.com/)


	3. the game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know what? Aang is the only one not blaming this on me. Aang, I forgive you for hitting me,” Sokka sighed. “Do you think that Zuko saw?”
> 
> Zuko felt awkward, now reaching the spot where it would be obvious that he'd heard this conversation. Worse, Sukki saw him coming up behind Aang and she looked as if she was trying to bite back a smile. “I think he might have,” Sukki teased. 
> 
> Panicked, Sokka looked around Katara and saw Zuko standing there. “Tui and La,” he muttered. “This keeps getting better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this up. Work somehow is busy right now??? Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to stick more to a once a week update schedule. 
> 
> As always, I don't beta this so if you see something wrong, please let me know.

For a few minutes Zuko sat in silence with Toph, then she turned to him. “Who is winning?”

“Uh- well I haven't been watching the whole time so it's hard to say, but I think Sokka's team?”

Toph snorted. “Sokka's team. We'd usually call it Aang's team but I'll forgive your obvious preference.” 

Zuko was grateful that Toph couldn't see the blush that flushed his cheeks. Nor could she see the way that his eyes lingered on Sokka as opposed to everyone else. 

“Okay Raspy, make yourself useful,” she demanded, shifting on the bench so that she was fully facing him. “Give me the sports play by play.” 

“I don't really know-”

“Just use that radio voice and say what's going on!” 

“Okay, uh one of the guys that was with the other team just caught the frisbee? And now he's throwing it toward one of his team mates? It looks like Suki is trying to block him. He caught the frisbee too though...” Zuko was not cut out for this. Also he didn't know what sort of things he could say to make a game of catching and throwing that interesting. 

Toph was laughing at him. “Don't quit your day job, Raspy.” 

“I've never done this before! Also, I've never played before. How am I supposed to know to automatically be good at this?” he demanded, a touch insulted. 

“Well there's good and there's just not bad, which was what I was hoping for. But if you don't know how the game works why'd you say that Aang's team is winning?” 

“I just... guessed?” He didn't want to say that it seemed like Sokka was in a good mood and he felt like Sokka would be a bit more intense if he was losing. 

“Sure.” There was a beat of silence and Zuko turned back to the game to watch. “It's okay that you like him, you know.”

“W-what?” Zuko sputtered, turning back to look at Toph wondering how she'd picked up on his interest when she couldn't even see him and he hadn't said anything that would make it obvious. 

“Sokka. Duh.” 

“I don't even know him, so I don't see how I could like him.” Ty Lee would say that he was deflecting if she heard him say that. Luckily, she wasn't there. 

“The two of you aren't exactly subtle with the flirting.” Toph continued as if she hadn't heard him. 

The two of them? Was she trying to imply that Sokka might have an interest in him? But no, he had a girlfriend. “I'm sure Suki would disagree that flirting is what is going on.” She didn't seem like the type of person who would just be cool with her boyfriend flirting with someone else. 

Toph actually snorted. “Suki would not disagree. They're poly, dipshit. Suki just broke up with her second boyfriend a little while ago but she isn't gonna stop Sokka from seeing someone else. I'm pretty sure she's into a girl at her job anyway.” 

The news that Sokka was polyamorous was like a weight being lifted off of him. One, he didn't have to feel guilty for flirting with Sokka. Two, it meant that he maybe wasn't reading too much into the way that Sokka seemed to keep touching him any excuse that he could get. And three, it meant that he actually had a chance. 

His heart was fluttering stupidly in his chest and he couldn't help but glance over to Sokka again, who happened to be looking over his way at the same time for some reason. Even though they were too far away to lock eyes properly, it seemed obvious that they would be if they were closer and Sokka raised his hand to wave at him. 

Zuko waved his hand back, smiling widely. And watched as Sokka got hit right in the face with a frisbee. 

“Oh no.” His jaw dropped and he found himself hopping to his feet as Sokka doubled over, holding his face where he'd gotten hit. 

“Why weren't you paying attention?” Katara demanded loudly, but she was rushing over to check out his face. 

“Wait, did Sokka just take one of those flying discs to the face?” Toph demanded, apparently piecing together what had happened by the reactions. 

“Yes.” Toph cackled loudly at that. “Stop it Toph, what if he's really hurt?” 

“Katara will be able to patch him up, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you went over to try and kiss it better.”

Zuko flushed red but did make his way out over to the field where the game had come to a pause and everyone was gathered around Sokka. 

“I'm so, so sorry, Sokka!” Aang looked incredibly distressed and guilty. “When I threw it I thought you were waving to signal that you were open.”

“Well I wasn't!” Sokka exclaimed, cringing away from Katara's fingers. 

“Oh stop being such a baby, you aren't even bleeding,” Katara rolled her eyes. “I love you Sokka, but you're so dramatic.” 

“Don't blame him, he's suffering from bisexual stupidity.” From what Zuko could see it looked like Suki had one of Sokka's hands wrapped in hers. “Not the place to get struck by it, babe.”

“You know what? Aang is the only one not blaming this on me. Aang, I forgive you for hitting me,” Sokka sighed. “Do you think that Zuko saw?”

Zuko felt awkward, now reaching the spot where it would be obvious that he'd heard this conversation. Worse, Sukki saw him coming up behind Aang and she looked as if she was trying to bite back a smile. “I think he might have,” Sukki teased. 

Panicked, Sokka looked around Katara and saw Zuko standing there. “Tui and La,” he muttered. “This keeps getting better.”

“Uh, are you okay, Sokka? That looked pretty nasty, I just wanted to come and check on you.” Zuko was rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly feeling like everyone's eyes were on him. Which, a quick glance around confirmed to be true. “I'm sorry that I distracted you.” 

“Oh, no, bro, don't worry about it.” Suddenly Sokka was standing back up straight, batting Katara's hand away from his face. “I'm totally cool. It's like, nothing.” 

“Here we go,” Katara rolled her eyes, moving away from Sokka and wrapping an arm around Aang's waist. She spoke quietly to her boyfriend, not having time for her brother's antics. “Now we get 'tough Sokka'.” 

“I love tough Sokka,” Aang answered brightly, pressing a kiss to Katara's temple. 

“Are you.. sure?” Zuko looked at the angry red mark that would most likely turn into a bruise. 

“What? Totally sure.” 

“Sokka is very strong,” Suki said indulgently, but her eyes were twinkling and it seemed hard for her to keep a straight face. “It takes a lot to slow him down. You'll find that out as you spend more time with him.” 

“Okay, if you're fine I guess I'll let you go back to the game.” He wasn't sure what else to do. 

“Actually, uh- I think I'll sit out the rest of the game,” Sokka spoke quickly, as if he were thinking on his feet. “Keep you company, you know. Don't want to be rude.” 

For a moment Zuko wanted to point out that there was Toph to keep him company, but as he opened his mouth he realized that it would mean turning down the opportunity to spend more time with Sokka and he nodded. “Okay.” And then, because he was an idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut. “Isn't that going to mess with the team numbers?”

“No,” Sokka answered. 

At the same time, “Yes!” came from the remaining players. 

“It's fine. Go rest for a little while,” Suki said soothingly, placing a kiss on Sokka's cheek and letting go of his hand so that she could pick up the frisbee again. “Aang, Katara and I can beat Haru's team even with one less player. We're already up in score anyway.”

“That's what you think,” one of the players from the other team smirked and everyone seemed to disperse.

“Come on, Zuko, let us go relax somewhere I cannot be brutally attacked again,” Sokka was speaking in grand theatrics and he wrapped an arm around Zuko's shoulders. 

The touch sent warmth up Zuko's neck and he started to walk with Sokka. “Didn't you say that you forgave Aang?” 

“I do- wait, you heard that?” Sokka's eyes were comically wide at the moment and it was a cute look. 

“You weren't exactly keeping your voice down...” Zuko trailed off with a little shrug. 

“Great. Well, I guess I can't embarrass myself further.” While a blush had turned the man's dark cheeks somewhat pink it was hard to tell that he was embarrassed at all. 

“If it makes you feel better I thought you were playing really well... before, the end.” 

“Yeah?” Sokka's face widened in a smile. 

“Yeah. You really looked like you knew what you were doing and it was actually pretty impressive.” Zuko couldn't meet Sokka's eyes as he complimented him like this, sure that he'd read through the fact that while he had noticed that there seemed to be some skill in his movements, he'd focused a lot more on the way that Sokka's arms had looked when he threw and tossed the frisbee. 

“I did train with a boomerang since I was young,” Sokka boasted and Zuko turned back to see him looking proud of himself. 

They'd reached the benches by now and Toph apparently had no qualms of letting them know that she'd been listening. “Oh spirits, if you're going to talk about that stupid boomerang go find some other bench further away from me.” 

“My boomerang is not stupid!” Sokka sounded offended. 

“If you were as good as it as you said you are, you probably wouldn't have gotten hit by a frisbee,” Toph pointed out, reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone as well as some headphones. 

Zuko had to bite back a smile at the teasing because he thought that she might have a point. 

“I was distracted!” 

“Sure, Snoozles. Blame your bi panic instead of your lack of skill.” Toph put her headphones on and held her phone up closer to her face. “Hey Google, open Twitter.” 

Clearly she was calling it the end of the conversation and while Sokka stood there looking, probably rightfully offended, Zuko stood off to the side wondering what to do. 

“Anyway,” Sokka continued, steering Zuko over toward a bench a little further away from the one that Toph was occupying. “I just got obsessed with the idea of a boomerang as a cool weapon when I was younger and my dad is really cool, so he helped me find someone to actually train with. And now I can do all sorts of cool tricks with it.” 

“That's really cool. I've trained with swords for a long time.” It was nice to have something in common with Sokka, or sort of. 

“Really?” Sokka gave him such an excited smile that Zuko swore that he could feel his heart melting as he nodded in response. “I've started training with swords recently too! Maybe you can come over and we could spar some time.” 

Not that he was sure, but Zuko felt like he'd probably have to fight hard not to just stand around and stare dumbly if he watched Sokka do any sort of sword trick. Even so, he found himself nodding as he tried not to get terribly lost in the idea of this stupidly attractive man handling a sword. 

“Great, can't wait,” Sokka took a seat on the bench and nodded toward Zuko to do the same, giving him a smile. “So Zuko, tell me more about yourself.” 

“Oh, there's not much to tell.” Lies, there was too much to tell. There wasn't much that he felt comfortable sharing. “You already know I'm studying at university. I work with my uncle at his tea shop when I'm not in class.” 

“Come on, there's more to you than that.” 

“Not really. I'm not big on a social life, I guess.” He didn't want to explain that his friends were also Azula's friends and that he thought of them as Azula's friends first and foremost, never reaching out to them unless they reached out to him first. At one point he'd talk more with Mai but after he'd broken up with her that had stopped as well. 

“Well... I think you fit in well with our group,” Sokka offered after a moment of silence. 

“I haven't really talked to anyone all that much,” Zuko pointed out, throwing a glance behind him to the group still playing. “And I don't get the feeling that Katara likes me.”

“Katara is always a bit... protective over the group,” Sokka explained slowly. It seemed like he was leaving something out but Zuko couldn't begin to guess what it was. “Slower to accept new people into it. When she comes around though she'll be ride or die for you.” 

Somehow, Zuko doubted it would be that easy but he didn't want to argue about it. 

“Aang likes you a lot though, says that you've got great energy and Toph thinks that you're funny.” Sokka listed off, ticking his fingers up as he went through the group. “Sukki thinks you're cool too.” 

It was bold and he almost chickened out, but he somehow managed to make himself ask. “What about you?” His ears were burning and he couldn't make himself 

At that Sokka looked confused but then gave a smile. “I thought it was obvious that I like you, man.” 

The rollercoaster of emotions that Zuko was feeling just couldn't settle down. There was something in the way that Sokka was looking at him that made him feel like the way that he could like him might be in a romantically inclined way. That and what Toph said earlier was still ringing in his ears, but Sokka called him man at the end? What did that mean? 

Could Toph have been mistaken about the flirting? She'd known Sokka for a while, it seemed, and they were close so she'd probably know but even if Sokka was poly it didn't mean that he was interested in Zuko and he could list a million reasons off the top of his head why that would be the case. 

“Okay, cool,” he answered quietly, still looking away in hopes that by the time that he looked back there'd be no show of the warmth that he could still feel on his skin. 

“Yeah.” 

Zuko could feel Sokka's eyes on him but he couldn't force himself to turn and look at him, almost afraid what he might encounter if he did. They sat in silence for a little longer before Zuko looked up, catching Sokka staring at him. 

Sokka's cheeks tinted pink but he didn't try to hide the fact that it was exactly what he'd been seen doing. 

“How is your head doing?” Zuko asked quietly, seeing that his face was only slightly less angry looking. 

“It's fine. I probably could have kept playing,” Sokka shrugged. 

“Why didn't you?” 

Sokka shrugged again though this time he looked down for a moment before continuing. “I thought it might be more interesting to talk with you for a while.” 

Zuko's eyes widened slightly, unable to believe that could be the case. “I'm sorry to prove you wrong.” 

“Who said you were proving me wrong?” Sokka's head tilted just to the side and his left eyebrow pulled up the slightest bit. 

“This conversation is more interesting than a sport activity?” He knew that he was being about as interesting as watching tea boil at this point. 

“Maybe you are.” The casual way that Sokka said the words had Zuko's heart beat thundering in his ears and wondering what in the world he'd done right to end up here and for there to somehow be some interest on Sokka's part in him. 

“I- I don't know what to say to that,” he admitted as he fidgeted slightly next to Sokka, aware of the fact that the were sitting close enough that their legs brushed together as they spoke. 

“You're not very good at accepting compliments,” Sokka said thoughtfully. “We'll have to work on that.” 

“You want to work on how I accept compliments?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I've only known you like half a day and I can already tell you're someone special,” Sokka answered, reaching out and placing his hand on Zuko's knee. The contact made his skin feel warmer, or maybe it was Sokka's hand itself that felt warm. It was hard to tell with how many feelings seemed to be going through him. “And you deserve to hear good things about yourself without immediately thinking that they're wrong.”

Suddenly his throat felt a little tighter as his eyes met Sokka's blue ones. There was so much sincerity there that it was impossible to doubt him and he wondered if it was normal to have someone make him feel this way in one afternoon. Maybe Sokka was just the type of person who was so kind to everyone that he would say this stuff to anyone he came across. Selfishly, Zuko hoped not. 

“Tell me more about everyone,” he said, his voice thick with emotion though he was trying to push it down. This seemed like a safe topic to distract himself. “How'd you all meet?”

Sokka launched into the tale of how he and Katara first met Aang and Zuko relaxed more, happy to have the attention off of himself and even happier to listen to Sokka telling stories. It wouldn't surprise him if someone were to take a picture of him right now, staring at Sokka as he spoke, only to find that actual hearts had replaced his eyes. 

Falling fast was an understatement it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone that has been leaving comments and kudos, they make my heart happy. 
> 
> As before you can find me at ambykinns on tumblr where I'm a multi-fandom mess.


	4. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gaang gets some dinner and shows Zuko one of their favorite spots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Walks in months late with a Tim's candy cane hot chocolate*
> 
> Hey.... how ya'll doin?
> 
> In all honesty, I apologize for the delay in the update.

Zuko was so caught up in talking to Sokka that he didn't notice when the game came to an end. Nor, did he notice when suddenly Suki came up beside him but that could be blamed by the fact that she'd approached on his left side.

“Hey boys, are you gonna come congratulate us or not?” she asked teasingly.

Zuko jumped in surprise, turning to see Suki standing with a big grin on her face.

“I didn't mean to startle you,” she apologized.

“No, it's fine, I just don't see well on my left side.” Usually he didn't like admitting that to people if he could help it but it was easy to talk in front of Sokka. Once it was out though he worried if the usual question would come next, if he would have to answer the why – if it was related to his scar and how much damage it had actually done.

“I'm sorry, I won't do it again.” Suki didn't look at him with pity, she just spoke matter of factly but with sincerity. “We won the game. And everyone is getting hungry, so I just wanted to come and get the two of you.”

Sokka stood and moved over to Suki. “I knew you could win, even without my continued contribution,” he teased, pulling her in and dropping her into an exaggerated kiss that made Zuko look away from how uncomfortable he felt despite the fact that the kiss was fairly mild all things considered.

“Hey, quit sucking face and start making your way over here!” Toph called, Zuko looked over and saw Katara and Aang standing with her. “I'm starving!”

The couple broke apart and while Sokka kept a hand in Suki's, he also reached for Zuko. “Well come on then, Toph summons nicely only once,” he warned, his arm linking through Zuko's in the way that he had been doing all day.

“Is your head doing okay now?” Katara asked when they'd gotten closer and while the question was innocent enough at base level, Zuko could hear some concern behind them. She watched her brother closely, almost trying to catch him lying it seemed.

“It's fine, I've got a hard head anyway.” Sokka was laughing at his own joke and Toph joined in.

“He's got a point there,” Suki teased.

Katara raised an eyebrow but stayed silent as she fixed Sokka with an intense stare that Zuko was sure that he would have crumbled under had it been fixed his way. Sokka seemed somewhat used to it though and he simply gave his sister a shrug without further comment. Katara gave a sigh and then another frown but apparently accepted it.

“Fine,” she answered but still looked like she wasn't convinced.

“Now that you've got your mother hen duties out of the way can we get going?” Toph questioned, she didn't wait for a response before she signaled Bandit to start moving and everyone seemed to take her lead to follow.

Zuko tried not to think about the fact he was side by side with Sokka the entire time, the other young man's arm linked through his with as much ease as he had it linked through Suki's and although it would have been easy to feel like a third wheel as he walked with the couple he somehow didn't. Maybe it was because Sokka pulled him into conversation with himself and Suki. Never letting him be excluded for more than a few sentences.

Or maybe it was because Suki seemed genuinely interested in hearing his thoughts, that she was being so friendly and welcoming to him too. Not like he was trying to steal her boyfriend but that he was a new friend that she couldn't wait to get to know. They talked about school together on the way over to the restaurant, the classes that they'd taken the past year and what they were planning on taking in the coming year.

It was shockingly easy to fall into this group, to talk with Suki and Zuko while trailing behind Toph, Katara and Aang who were caught up in their own conversation. For all he should have felt like an interloper he didn't, he felt somehow accepted and right. Like there had been a space waiting her for him all along, but that was stupid.

The thing was that he just wasn't used to people being so nice, that was all. They'd be able to make anyone feel like a temporary part of their group. The question went back to why they were bothering.

He hadn't puzzled it out by the time that they stopped at a small restaurant that he'd never been to before. It advertised that it had won an award for the best handmade noodles in the city and apparently the gang must have frequented the place quite a bit because the host seemed to know Aang by name.

“Aang! It's good to see you again. How is my favorite customer today?” the host was a middle aged man who had a kind face which was lit in a smile as he looked at the young man.

“Lee, I'm doing great. Thank you for asking! I'm just here to have the best noodles in the city if you've got space,” Aang answered brightly. When it was confirmed that of course there was space for them, he made a more specific request. “Can we get a table for six outside?”

“Follow me,” Lee agreed and lead them over to the outside seating area that was technically in part of the street but was closed off by some wooden barriers.

Zuko was unsure of where the best place to sit not to interrupt normal seating patterns would be, but he headed toward the corner seat. It was where he'd usually sit when he had the chance, tucked out of the way of everyone else. Surprisingly, it was Aang who took the chair next to him and Zuko had to stop himself from feeling somewhat put out that it wasn't Sokka sitting next to him.

But then Sokka took the seat directly across from him with a grin, Suki taking the place next to him and Katara beside her as Toph sat next to Aang with Bandit settling down under the table by her feet.

“Do you like vegan food, Zuko? This place has the absolute best vegan ramen options that I've ever had,” Aang said with a smile.

“I've never had vegan ramen,” Zuko answered, idly wondering if everything on the menu was going to be vegan. Was this a true stereotype that the LGBT+ community was more likely to be vegan than the general population. Maybe he should have discussed this with someone before.

“You do not have to try it,” Sokka cut in, wrinkling his nose. “Get some regular ramen with meat in it. They have amazing pork here. Aang is just trying to draw you into a vegan lifestyle and you don't need that.”

“I'm not trying to draw him anywhere. I just think that if more people tried vegan food they'd know how good it is and the could incorporate it more into their diet even if they don't go full-” Aang was kind as he explained his viewpoint but he was cut off by Toph loudly making a farting sound.

“Twinkletoes we don't need the part time veganism lecture again,” she said with disinterest. “Let Zuko eat whatever he wants.”

“Maybe I can try uh, some of yours?” Zuko offered, figuring that it was a good enough compromise. It wasn't that he was against vegan foods, it was just that it tended not to be exactly the same as what he was wanting and now that he saw the pictures on the menu he had to admit that the spicy pork ramen was looking particularly good.

Aang beamed at the suggestion, seeming happy with this work around. “Sure thing! I'd be happy to share.”

“Don't ask me to share,” Sokka warned. “I hate sharing mediocre food and this stuff is amazing, so there will be no extra bites to give to you.”

“Yes, we all know that you can't be counted on to share, Sokka,” Katara answered. “You're a human vacuum cleaner.”

“Proud of it,” Sokka smirked and it looked so good on his face that Zuko felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the guy across from him. The tips of his ears turned pinked and he buried his face back into the menu to stop from embarrassing himself.

“What's it like working at The Jasmine Dragon?” Aang turned back to Zuko, looking at him with a face full of curiosity.

“Oh..” Zuko paused, unsure of how to explain the answer. “It's fine. Uncle is a good boss but it's like any other customer service job I guess.” There were times when the tea shop lulled and times when it was bustling. Times when customers were pleasant and times when they made him want to walk off the floor and never return again.

“Do you get free tea?” Sokka questioned excitedly, leaning across the table. Underneath it, his foot bumped into Zuko's and had the gay man pulling his foot out of the way instantly.

“I guess technically, yes, I can. I don't like to take advantage, though.”

“If he's offering it's not taking advantage,” Aang pointed out.

At the same time Sokka shook his head and said, “Boo, Zuko! Don't turn down free stuff!”

“I just-” Zuko wondered how to explain the idea that Uncle had already done so much for him that taking extra, even something as small as tea, wasn't something that he felt comfortable doing. It was hard to think of a way that would happen without it leading to even more questioning though.

“Leave Raspy alone and someone read this menu to me,” Toph cut in, apparently deciding to help him out.

“Toph, you know the menu by heart,” Katara pointed out with a small frown. “And you always order the same thing anyway.”

“I'm sorry Sugar Queen, I wasn't aware that I couldn't change things up. And if they had braille menus I wouldn't need to have someone read it to me, but guess what?”

With a sigh Katara acquiesced and began reading over the menu offerings to Toph who quickly shot down most of the dishes before the other woman had finished reading off the name.

Not wanting the conversation to turn back to him, Zuko turned to Aang and asked him about his tattoos. It seemed to be a winning conversation starter because Aang eagerly dove into the meaning of the arrows that winded down his arms and explained about his childhood spent growing up with a foster parent who was a monk and that the tattoos were a part of the culture that he'd been raised in. It was an interesting story and it stopped Zuko from having to be the focus of attention for pretty much the whole meal because although everyone else already knew the story they were still invested.

They jumped in to point out things that Aang didn't elaborate on or to add a bit of their favorite stories about either him or the man who had raised him. It was nice, though a bit odd, to listen to everyone throughout the meal. Of course things shifted away from Aang being the sole focus and into more general memories that people had together and while he felt somewhat apart from the group he still didn't exactly feel left out.

Maybe it was the way that Sokka kept turning to him every time he added something to a story, or the way that Aang would look over at him now and again as if making sure that he was still following along, or even the small, friendly smiles that Suki would shoot his way now and again. It was like they wanted him there, which still seemed odd to him.

The food was good, delicious even and he had to admit that even the vegan ramen that Aang had was very tasty as well. When he'd said so, Sokka had sighed dramatically and said something about him being dangerously close to losing points that made Zuko panic for a moment and turn back to his own ramen while Aang jumped to his defense until the topic switched back to something not focused around him and Zuko could breathe easier. Or well, he could when he wasn't taking in how Sokka looked when he laughed, throwing his head back and becoming a picture of joy that made Zuko's heart skip beats and had him trying to not get caught staring.

By the time that everyone had finished eating, Zuko was stuffed and he felt like he'd known the group for much longer than he had. Was it possible that he'd met them just hours ago? That feeling was there again, like he fit into a spot that was carved out just for him.

“Alright losers, let's get going to that show. I wanna be able to get a good spot,” Toph stood as soon as the bills were paid.

Zuko had no clue exactly where the outdoor concert was taking place so he allowed himself to be led by the group, ending up finding himself falling to the back of the group for a moment with the way that they'd left the restaurant. It wasn't like he could exactly push his way forward to be more included with the group though, so he silently followed for a few minutes.

“Zuko, buddy, where are you?” Sokka called back, looking over his shoulder and frowning. Where he was was behind Aang and Katara who were walking hand in hand right in front of him, talking together.

“Uh, I'm following, don't worry about it.” It seemed rude to try and move past Aang and Katara, besides he didn't want to intrude on any conversation that might be going on between Sokka, Suki and Toph.

It seemed that Sokka was going to worry about it though because after a moment he was in the back of the group with Zuko, giving him a wide smile. His teeth flashed against his dark skin and his eyes twinkled. Was it even fair that someone should be so attractive? No, it wasn't.

“Bro, don't just hang out back here alone,” Sokka chastised, nudging his shoulder. The use of the word 'bro' distracted Zuko so much that he didn't even think about the contact with Sokka. Bro? Well, there went any hope that Sokka was interested in him in a romantic fashion. He must just be a very touchy person. It made sense.

“I'm fine.” Okay that didn't sound as convincing as he would have hoped, maybe it was the sinking disappointment that he felt in his stomach over the fact that he'd just been 'bro-zoned' by the most attractive person that he'd ever seen and somehow he'd let himself get his hopes up that maybe Sokka might also find him attractive too.

Really, he should have known better. Even before he'd gotten his scar he'd never considered himself to be model material or anything, but now, with it, it was even worse.

“You don't need to babysit me or anything.” Maybe that was a little much. Azula had always said that he was dramatic, maybe she hadn't been lying about that.

A frown pulled at the corner of Sokka's lips and his brow furrowed slightly as he seemed to pick up on the shift of mood. For a moment Zuko was afraid that he was going to address it but instead the bi man shook his head and linked their arms together again, the same as earlier. “Well I want to walk with you.”

And Zuko's stupid heart sped up again because he couldn't stop the warmth that spread through him, or the way that his lips pulled up in a smile as his cheeks heated. “I'm not going to argue with you,” he answered simply, as if he wasn't thrilled inside.

At that Sokka grinned wider. “I guess you're winning back some of those points you lost for encouraging Aang's quest to turn us all vegan.”

“I'm not encouraging. It was good ramen, that's all I said. I'm not trying to go vegan either.”

“Very good, I don't know if I can handle another vegan friend. The one is enough,” Sokka shuddered dramatically. “Aang tried to feed us all a tofurky last year and that thing haunts my dreams. It didn't look right and everyone insisted that I still try some of it and when I tell you that it was awful I need you to understand that it was the actual worst thing that I've ever put in my mouth and I've put some questionable things in my mouth, I'll tell ya.”

Briefly, Zuko had a passing thought about what those questionable things could be and wasn't able to stop the heat that crept up his face and ears as his mind slipped toward the dirty implications that could be made. Luckily, if Sokka noticed he didn't say anything because he was continuing on a tirade about the horrors of fake meats.

It shouldn't have been such an enthralling conversation, but Zuko was lost in it, only able to be glad that Sokka was there to lead the way for them because he had stopped paying attention to the group in front of them pretty much the moment that Sokka started speaking to him.

Then again, getting lost with Sokka likely wouldn't be all that bad. Something told him, they'd come out of it with a good story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm thinking there will probably be one more chapter to wrap things up. Maybe an epilogue after that? I'll see what happens. Thanks again for reading and of course I'm happy to hear any thoughts.
> 
> If you notice a mistake, please point it out, I don't beta anything so... you know.


	5. the concert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> at the concert zuko suffers some overcrowding and sokka saves the day before they part ways.

The outdoor concert was taking place in a large park center that Zuko never really went around to because it tended to be out of his usual path. There were plenty of parks around the city that he could spend time in without having to travel too far. Right now it was packed with people, many of them still dressed as if they'd been at the parade earlier today. 

Around the perimeter there were different booths that all had pride banners while advertising their wares, he saw a popular fire whiskey company and a make-up brand that seemed to be handing out lipstick and maybe doing some make up judging by the line that was formed by it? He didn't have time to really examine anything though as they made their way to the central viewing area, where the group seemed to find a spot that would be good for viewing but wasn't too close to the stage.

“Come on guys, we wanna have a good view, let's keep moving,” Sokka suggested, trying to nudge everyone to start toward the front.

“Oh yeah, I'd be devastated if I couldn't see the acts,” Toph replied seriously. 

“See! We need to get closer so Toph can-” Zuko could almost see the moment that Sokka realized what had just happened. The rest of the group was trying to hold back laughs and even Zuko was fighting back a smile. “Not funny Toph!” 

“It's funny how often you fall for it,” she countered with a shrug, kneeling down and opening up her backpack. “I don't want to be too close to the speakers. Some of us actually need to be able to hear later.” She pulled out a pair of what seemed to be some weird connected headphone contraption which Zuko didn't understand until he saw her trying to position it to put on Bandit. 

Without needing to be asked, Katara knelt down and adjusted them slightly to make sure that they were secure before Toph velcroed the headphones shut. Bandit looked so adorable that Zuko was even momentarily distracted from the feel of Sokka's arm linked in his, instead looking toward the working dog and tempted to take a photo with his phone so that he could see this image later on some rough day when he'd need the pick me up. 

“I agree,” Aang spoke up. “I don't like being too close either. It gets too loud.” 

Katara was standing again and nodded as she slipped her hand back into Aang's. “Plus, I do not want to be in any position where people might be pushing against me. I'm fine where we are.”

Sokka and Suki shared a look that seemed to be some sort of silent conversation, judging by the facial expressions that passed between them but Zuko couldn't even begin to understand what any of it might mean. 

“The most important part is being able to hear,” she said after a moment, giving what seemed to be an apologetic smile. “I don't think we need to move.” 

Sokka groaned and turned to Zuko. “Will you come up to the front with me? I promise you'll have a good time!” 

Zuko froze for a moment, caught off guard by Sokka's question. He'd sort of assumed that it would be a group decision, not having considered for even a moment that there might be a chance of splitting off from the rest of the group. He nodded.

How could he say no? Even though it clearly wasn't going to be anything like special or even private (in fact, they'd be even closer to more strangers than they were right now) it felt special to be asked to go with Sokka when everyone else would stay behind. 

Sokka flashed him a wide grin and reached to grab his hand, starting to drag him away from the group. “We'll meet up with you once the show is over!” he told the rest of the group and Zuko distractedly threw a wave over his shoulder as he allowed himself to be taken toward the front. With some creative maneuvering, Sokka managed to get them only a couple of rows from the front. 

As expected, it was crowded there. What that meant was that he and Sokka needed to be closer to one another, standing side by side and though Sokka had dropped his hand once they were firmly in place, their arms were still pressed together. Zuko could feel the warmth of the taller man next to him and he found his hand itching to move back into Sokka's but there was no reason for it to be done right now. 

“Have you ever seen this band before?” Sokka asked, speaking loudly despite their closeness because of the sizable crowd of people around them. 

“Uh, no,” he answered, having to raise his own voice a bit to respond. To be fair, he'd never even heard of the band before today. 

“You're going to love them!” 

Zuko wasn't so sure that was actually true, but the smile that Sokka gave made him nod in agreement anyway. Besides he didn't really come along because he was interested in the act that would be performing tonight. He came along so that he could spend time with Sokka and his friends. If it was the worst band in the world he'd still consider the choice worth it. 

Sokka started loudly explaining the last time that he'd seen them and what made the group so great but between all the people talking around them and the ambiance music that was being played it was hard to fully focus on what he was saying even though Sokka was situated on his better side. Even so, Zuko tried his best to listen and when he wasn't sure what was being said or it seemed that he was supposed to give a response he did what anyone would do in his situation... he nodded and hoped that it wasn't a question. 

Judging from the fact that Sokka didn't give him any confused looks said that it was working well enough. Of course, he would have preferred a situation where he could just fully enjoy Sokka's company without all the distraction but it wasn't like he had any rights to that. 

Once the band was announced to start though things got even more intense. People surged forward, trying to get closer to the front and crowding in together which made Zuko uncomfortable and had him wishing that he had listened to the rest of the group and stayed back with them as he was sure they weren't currently being pressed in on all sides. 

It was deeply uncomfortable, having strangers in his space like this and distracting too. He wanted to push them off of him, especially given that his left side was the one exposed to all the strangers. Despite his best attempts to put his energy forward and just enjoy the performance that was happening on the stage, he still was unable to fully do so as he subtly tried to put distance between himself and the excitable young woman next to him. 

A consequence of this was that he ended up pushing closer and closer to Sokka each time he attempted to gain a bit of personal space. That would be nice in itself if he didn't feel like he was encroaching on Sokka's space each time and then just had to attempt to make himself smaller. 

During such an attempt, suddenly he felt an arm wrap around his waist and guide him to the side. At first he tensed under the strange touch but realized that it was Sokka who was touching him and then he continued to be tense but for a wholly different reason. Sokka moved Zuko to stand in front of him, letting his arms wrap very loosely around the gay man's middle so that his elbows stuck out and kept people from pressing into the space. Though they were standing close, Sokka didn't press himself fully against Zuko but he could feel the warmth of the other man's chest pressed to his back. 

“Here, this should stop shovey over there,” Sokka said, his face was right next to Zuko's, his chin resting on the other's shoulder. 

It was impossible to stop the shiver that went through him at the closeness that they were sharing. In his own chest he felt his heart beating a thousand miles a minute, seeming loud enough that even the beats of the music that were so strongly filling the air couldn't drown it out. Was Sokka able to feel it? Hopefully not, that would be embarrassing. 

Things were bad enough as they were, with the way that he couldn't even let himself fully release the tension that he was holding in because found himself wanting to melt back into Sokka's touch, to let himself rest his weight against Sokka's strong chest and rest his arms atop the darker man's. He wanted to snuggle into this embrace and see what it would feel like. Resisting the urge to do just that made him tense, as if giving a single inch would mean that he just slipped entirely into his wants. After all, this was simply Sokka being nice.

Sure, Toph had suggested that Sokka might be interested and sure some of his comments and actions might have come across a bit flirty, he supposed, but that didn't mean anything. After all, why would Sokka be interested in him when he looked as he did and already had an amazing girlfriend in Suki who was far more attractive than him to boot. Not to mention the fact that he'd called him 'bro' not even an hour ago.

As for what he was doing right now? Well, this was just a friend noticing another friend was being overtaken by the crowd and doing his best to make sure that said friend was comfortable. Zuko was the one who had to make sure that it didn't get weird. 

So, that was exactly what he attempted to do. A few calming breaths, a bit of gradual release of his tense muscles, a forward facing focus toward the band playing. Anything that he could do to get his mind on something other than what it wanted to cling to.

Even still, it didn't stop him from noticing Sokka. How nice it felt to have his arms around him, how great he smelled, how right it seemed to be here. He felt safe and every place that they were touching seemed alive and warm. Despite the less than ideal attitudes of the crowd surrounding them, Zuko felt like he wanted to stay there forever. Fool himself into thinking that Sokka was doing something more than he would do for just any friend. 

By the time a few songs had passed Zuko had managed to relax enough that he'd somewhat grown used to the feeling of being here in Sokka's arms. Was he fully able to focus on the music? No, of course not. He was busy getting distracted by Sokka singing along to the words of songs that he'd heard rarely or never at all. By Sokka moving one arm away to wave in the air during what he proclaimed was his favorite song. Distracted by the way that once, when someone knocked into Sokka, the other man had tightened his grip on him for a moment and was pressed closer into him. 

The entire set passed by sort of in a blur. The loud noises, the people, the palpable energy in the air but mostly Sokka was what Zuko would remember when he looked back at today. He was almost disappointed when the group took their leave because as people started to take their leave, Sokka moved away from Zuko. 

“What did you think?” Sokka asked as he reached for his hand again, to make sure that he wouldn't get lost on their way to meet the rest of the group. 

“It was good.” He'd enjoyed himself anyway even if the music hadn't been the forefront of his experience.

“I told you it would be,” he was almost bragging at this point. 

“Calm down, the bar isn't that high,” Zuko shot back before he could stop himself. “They aren't my new favorite or anything.” 

“I didn't promise they'd be your new favorite, I promised that you'd have a good time,” Sokka countered. “And you said you did. Check and mate.”

Despite his growing fondness of the other guy, Zuko couldn't help but roll his eyes at the childish antics. “Okay, sure.”

The rest of the group was waiting for them close to where they'd left them. “How was it up front?” Suki asked teasingly as she caught sight of them. Maybe Zuko was imagining it but he thought he saw her smile grow when she noticed Sokka's hand still wrapped around Zuko's. 

“Fantastic, much better than being way back here. We had a great view and the energy was just amazing!” 

“Oh and what did Raspy think?” Toph was faced directly toward Zuko and if he didn't know any better he would have thought that she was staring right into him as she waited for an answer. 

“It was okay,” he deadpanned causing a roar of laughter to come from everyone else, save Sokka who was looking at Zuko with a betrayed expression. 

“He's lying!” The hand that wasn't around Zuko's was waving as he tried to make his point. “He was just telling me that it was good! And he had a great time, I can tell!” 

“Oh and how can you do that?” Katara raised an eyebrow challengingly. 

“Because he danced some and everyone knows that dancing is the classic indication of having a good time.” 

“I didn't dance.” Did he? Spirits he didn't remember dancing but maybe when Sokka was doing it he followed along? Or was he mistaking the fact that Zuko hadn't had a clue where in the world he was supposed to put his hands when Sokka's arms were around him?

“You swayed! Swaying is dancing.” Sokka was holding stubborn. 

“That's a bit of a stretch, Snoozles.” Toph was giving a signal to Bandit, indicating that it was time to start moving and the rest of the group did just that.

“I don't know, swaying is sort of dancing,” Aang considered. “Some people dance through small and smile movements.” 

“Ha! Vindication!” The smug look was back on Sokka's face again and if he wasn't so attractive, Zuko might have found it offputting. He'd certainly seen such looks on others before that were turn offs but somehow Sokka wore it well. 

That did not mean that he wasn't going to try and wipe it away. “I was only swaying because you were and it would have been awkward not to.” 

“No excuses, we live up to our losses like men!” Sokka gave a decisive nod and Zuko's hand a firm little tuck. 

Suki cleared her throat and Sokka continued quickly. “And women and people without genders but with honor!” 

This got a strange cheer of “Hell yeah!” from a few people walking past them that led Sokka to grin widely. “Yeah! they get it,” he proclaimed. 

“Spirits help us, now strangers are cheering him on,” Katara shook her head and Suki laughed. 

“Don't worry, next time we'll get you full on dancing,” Sokka said and then he winked at Zuko. 

He winked. At Zuko. Now his brain felt like it was short circuiting. Why would he do that? What was the appropriate response to a wink? Did friends wink at other friends? He hadn't seen them do it but maybe that was because of his own lack of close friends. Maybe this was just how Sokka was. 

Luckily, no one seemed to notice Zuko's inner turmoil because Aang had now suggested that the whole group go out dancing together and was trying to get everyone to agree on a place. Zuko hadn't been to any of the places that were being thrown out but he didn't think that he was invited anyway, so he kept quiet and still tried to unravel the mystery that was Sokka. 

“What about you, Zuko?” Aang's voice cut through Zuko's thoughts as the other man had turned to look at him, his face bright and hopeful as he walked backwards. At the confused look that Zuko gave him he only patiently continued, “Are you free next Saturday?”

“Oh- uh- I don't know. I think so?” 

“Great, we're all free! We'll set up the details this week!” Aang turned back to face forward, excitedly talking with Katara about some new dance move he was apparently hoping to master by then. And just like that, apparently Zuko was invited. 

This day couldn't get any weirder. For some reason, this group of non-straights (and Katara) wanted to bring him into their group even after today. He didn't understand it. People didn't tend to take to him, but these people had. Why? Because he was gay? Was that really all that he needed to be accepted. 

Considering how much trouble his sexuality had brought him in the past, it was mind boggling to think that it would be the thing that made something positive happen to him. Yet, wasn't it because of his sexuality that he was even at the parade today? Wasn't his pin something that he'd been commented on? Wasn't pride what had brought him to be in the same place at the same time as these people? 

“Hey man, you okay?” Sokka asked, speaking a bit quieter as he leaned his head over toward Zuko. 

“What? Oh yeah, sorry, it's just been a long day.” Zuko offered a smile that was not quite real but hopefully sold his tired story a bit. 

“A bit more excitement than the tea shop usually offers?” 

“You could say that.” Even with how hectic things could get during rush hours, the tea shop always felt like a bit of a safe haven for him. 

“Guess I should walk you home to make sure that you don't fall asleep on the way there then.” The tone was slight and teasing but when Zuko looked into Sokka's face he seemed somehow serious. 

“You don't have to do that, I can manage on my own.” Walking around the city at night wasn't uncommon for him and it wasn't even that late anyway. “Plus, I wouldn't want you to have to go out of your way.” 

“How do you know I'd be going out of my way?” 

“Where do you live?” Zuko questioned and sure enough Sokka's answer put him in the opposite direction of where he'd have to head. In fact, if Zuko remembered the layout of the city correctly they'd have to split pretty soon. “Yeah that's the direct opposite of the way that I'm going. It's really okay. I'll make it home fine.” They made it to the intersection that they'd have to split up at. “Um, thanks for having me today everyone, but I've got to go this way.” 

They all turned to look at Zuko, who had removed his hand from Sokka's and gave a little wave to them .

“Oh, okay.” Aang sounded somewhat put out at this. “Thanks for coming with us! It was so nice to meet you, Zuko!” Then he was pulling out his phone and shoving it toward Zuko. “Here, put your number in so that we can get things set up for next weekend.” 

Zuko did as asked, surprised at the genuine way that Aang spoke. “Sure.” He was unsure if he should put his last name into the contact too but it wouldn't mean anything to Aang so he decided to note '-gay' next to it to help him out should he need it. 

“It was very nice to meet you,” Katara smiled and gave a wave. 

“Yeah, I'm looking forward to next weekend,” Suki agreed with a nod. 

“Catch you around, Raspy,” Toph gave a sup nod in his direction. “Tell Iroh I'll be by for tea soon.” 

“Will do,” Zuko nodded and then turned to say another goodbye to Sokka but he found that the other guy had moved away from him and was busy talking to Suki. Not wanting to interrupt and figuring that he'd already said his goodbyes, he turned to leave and fought back any disappointment that he was feeling. After all, it wasn't like he expected anything special in a goodbye from Sokka. Nor did he need one. Instead, he started to think about the fact that he'd have to get his crush under control if he wanted to keep hanging out with the group.

“Zuko!” He paused, then turned back and was surprised to see Sokka jogging to catch up with him. “Hey dude, why'd you leave without me?”

“Because we were at the point where we had to go different directions?” Hadn't they covered this already?

“I said I was going to walk you home though.” 

“And I said that you didn't have to.”

“But I said that I was going to!” 

“I didn't know that you were serious about that,” Zuko pointed out. “I said goodbye to everyone.” 

Sokka rolled his eyes and slung an arm around Zuko's shoulder. “Not to me.” 

“You were included in everyone. You just didn't say anything back.” He did not like being told that he was wrong, or having it be implied that he'd been wrong when he wasn't. 

“You think I'd let you go without saying goodbye?” Sokka was looking down at him in an incredulous manner and his tongue darted out to lick his lip for a second as he paused.

Zuko's eyes caught on his lips and he couldn't bring himself to start the two of them walking. Then, realizing that he was staring, his cheeks flushed and he turned to face forward before starting toward his place once more. “I just met you today. I don't know what your habits are.” 

Sokka seemed to take a moment to join him and when he did he sighed, not putting his arm back around Zuko this time but simply talking alongside of him. “I wouldn't let you go without a goodbye,” he assured the other man. “Trust me on that.”

“Okay.” Now Zuko was having a hard time trying to keep the image of a goodnight kiss out of his mind even though it wasn't something he should let himself think about. The two of them fell into silence as they walked beside each other, Zuko leading the way for the first time all day. 

It was impossible for him to know what Sokka was thinking about but after a couple of minutes of silence Sokka started to hum one of the songs that had been played tonight. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he launched into a story about the year prior at pride. They fell into a step rhythm together and Zuko was a happy audience to listen to Sokka's storytelling. 

It made the twenty minute walk back to his place pass quickly and when they arrived and Zuko stopped, nodding toward the building. “This is me.”

“You live in the tea shop?” Sokka looked confused and it was kind of adorable, actually. 

“No, I live above the tea shop.” He still was kind of stupid though and Zuko couldn't help the way that his tone implied it. 

“Ah yes, that makes a lot more sense.” Sokka nodded and it seemed like his face had a bit of color to it now though Zuko couldn't be sure. 

“Right, well... goodnight then. I guess I'll see you next Saturday?” It seemed much further away now that he was thinking about not seeing Sokka but he was sure that with his shifts it would pass by quickly.

“Yeah, I'll be there,” Sokka nodded and gave a smile. 

The two of them stood there for a moment, looking at each other in silence that Zuko felt was weird and he was unsure of how to leave because Sokka had said that he was going to say goodbye but now that the moment was here he wasn't doing it so... what did that mean? 

Just as he was about to say something, Sokka spoke up quickly. “Did you want to get dinner?” 

Now Zuko was more confused than before. “On Saturday?” Aang hadn't mentioned dinner but maybe Sokka was going to throw it out to the group. 

“Uh, no. Some other day?” Sokka's hand came up to rub the back of his neck once as he looked at Zuko. 

He felt slow, the way that his brain was trying to connect the dots. It seemed like... was Sokka asking him out to dinner? Just the two of them? “Like with everyone or...?” He couldn't make himself say it for fear of being wrong. 

“I was thinking just the two of us, actually,” Sokka seemed less sure now, his words coming out slowly with him glancing away from Zuko a few times as he spoke as if he were unsure of himself. 

Zuko nodded before his brain had finished processing anything. “Yes,” he answered, surprising himself with the force of the word. His face pulled into a smile even though he knew that there was still no way of proving that it was going to be a date and not just a dinner amongst two new friends. 

“Great! It's a date!” Sokka grinned and then leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Zuko's cheek. “Goodnight, Zuko. I'll text you!” He turned to hurry away and was practically skipping as he left, leaving Zuko staring after him in wonder and shock. 

“You don't have my number!” It was the first thing that came to mind and he called it at the other man's back as soon as he had unfroze. 

Sokka turned around, a wide grin still on his face. “I'll get it from Aang!” 

There was nothing to say to that so he nodded and just watched as Sokka gave a happy wave before turning back around. His fingers came up to rest on the warm spot on his cheek where the other man's lips had been moments before and felt himself smiling stupidly. 

And if he was going to get interrogated about his good mood from Uncle when he went inside.. well, it might just be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks. I probably will be writing some other one shots in this universe/timeline and if/when I do I will be sure to link them down here. 
> 
> In the meantime, I'm starting a Christmas Zukka fanfic if ya'll wanna read it over here:   
> [cœurs à louer ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27785686/chapters/68021056)


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